UK tour comments...from the Indra styx mailing list
Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2005 4:24 amSince I don't start enough topics...
This was posted to the Styx Indra list:
this is a bit from an interview with Double Cross...a support band for Styx' UK tour:
>3. How do you view the current melodic rock music scene,
>particularly in the UK? Has there been an upswing in interest
>following Firefest and bands like Styx & Kansas finally making it
>over to the UK?
>
>I think with the bands mentioned & the Firefest as an example it
>does make you very much aware that there are more people out there
>interested in all things melodic than the statutory 200 or so people
>that normally frequent a venue when a Stateside band comes to the
>UK. On the Styx tour they must have played infront of about 10,000
>people over the 6 dates here in the UK, naturally the die-hards will
>make more than one show but it shows you that the audience for this
>kinda thing is a little healthier than most people might imagine.
>The Firefest is a great example of bringing the "scene" together for
>one particular event. There are still UK bands out there pulling in
>decent numbers on there own. (Quo, Thunder etc...) In the days of
>major label ignorance though, I think the scene is about as healthy
>as it's gonna get unless somehow this kinda thing becomes
>fashionable again.
>
>4. How did the tour with Styx go? How did you get the tour support?
>
>The Styx tour was a fantastic opportunity for us, we played infront
>of some big audiences & were there to warm up the crowd for the
>headliners. All in all it was a major success for us judging by the
>crowd reactions, aftershow comments & merchandise sales, all of
>which were all pretty healthy to say the least. Styx were truly
>awesome in every sense of the word, their songs, performance, sound
>& entourage were immense to put it mildly. They were very
>accommodating towards us, both band & crew and we have the utmost
>respect for each & every one of them.
>
>The support came about through somebody having faith in us & putting
>our name forward for the gig. We were in the running favourably for
>about 5 weeks prior to the tour along with 2 other acts. With just
>over a week to go the support band was announced & it wasn't DC.
>Styx are a self sufficient band with several juggernaut lorries
>carrying gear & 2 tour buses to house the band & crew etc, they have
>all the sound, lighting & pretty much everything catered for,
>therefore they expect any support band to be as self sufficient.
>Herein lied the problem I think with the support band chosen, &
>after jumping ship, we were given the opportunity to take up the
>baton with 48 hours notice. We had to supply our own on stage desk &
>monitoring, front of house mixing desk, & 2 sound engineers to
>monitor them both. A mighty task at such short notice but with all
>the will in the world & a chance to share a stage with a legendary
>act, we set the wheels in motion & were there in full force on the
>opening night.
>
>
>8. What have been the most memorable gigs and why?
>
>For me....the most memorable gig was Rock City on the recent Styx
>tour. It was the opening night, the crowd were standing & the
>atmosphere was just electric....these guys had waited a long time
>for this. We took to the main stage & played for about an hour to an
>unfamiliar crowd & they were chanting for more come the end of our
>set! I finally felt like "we'd arrived". The Manchester show was
>also a superb night for us, a capacity crowd that were enthusiastic
>to say the least...based on the merchandise we shifted that night
>was a testament as to how well we were received. The opening night
>on the Dokken tour at the Underworld was a good night for us
>also....again met with a similar reaction by the crowd. The audience
>response feeds your performance & if they are with you....you try
>your hardest not to let them go.
>
> www.doublecross.org.uk
This was posted to the Styx Indra list:
this is a bit from an interview with Double Cross...a support band for Styx' UK tour:
>3. How do you view the current melodic rock music scene,
>particularly in the UK? Has there been an upswing in interest
>following Firefest and bands like Styx & Kansas finally making it
>over to the UK?
>
>I think with the bands mentioned & the Firefest as an example it
>does make you very much aware that there are more people out there
>interested in all things melodic than the statutory 200 or so people
>that normally frequent a venue when a Stateside band comes to the
>UK. On the Styx tour they must have played infront of about 10,000
>people over the 6 dates here in the UK, naturally the die-hards will
>make more than one show but it shows you that the audience for this
>kinda thing is a little healthier than most people might imagine.
>The Firefest is a great example of bringing the "scene" together for
>one particular event. There are still UK bands out there pulling in
>decent numbers on there own. (Quo, Thunder etc...) In the days of
>major label ignorance though, I think the scene is about as healthy
>as it's gonna get unless somehow this kinda thing becomes
>fashionable again.
>
>4. How did the tour with Styx go? How did you get the tour support?
>
>The Styx tour was a fantastic opportunity for us, we played infront
>of some big audiences & were there to warm up the crowd for the
>headliners. All in all it was a major success for us judging by the
>crowd reactions, aftershow comments & merchandise sales, all of
>which were all pretty healthy to say the least. Styx were truly
>awesome in every sense of the word, their songs, performance, sound
>& entourage were immense to put it mildly. They were very
>accommodating towards us, both band & crew and we have the utmost
>respect for each & every one of them.
>
>The support came about through somebody having faith in us & putting
>our name forward for the gig. We were in the running favourably for
>about 5 weeks prior to the tour along with 2 other acts. With just
>over a week to go the support band was announced & it wasn't DC.
>Styx are a self sufficient band with several juggernaut lorries
>carrying gear & 2 tour buses to house the band & crew etc, they have
>all the sound, lighting & pretty much everything catered for,
>therefore they expect any support band to be as self sufficient.
>Herein lied the problem I think with the support band chosen, &
>after jumping ship, we were given the opportunity to take up the
>baton with 48 hours notice. We had to supply our own on stage desk &
>monitoring, front of house mixing desk, & 2 sound engineers to
>monitor them both. A mighty task at such short notice but with all
>the will in the world & a chance to share a stage with a legendary
>act, we set the wheels in motion & were there in full force on the
>opening night.
>
>
>8. What have been the most memorable gigs and why?
>
>For me....the most memorable gig was Rock City on the recent Styx
>tour. It was the opening night, the crowd were standing & the
>atmosphere was just electric....these guys had waited a long time
>for this. We took to the main stage & played for about an hour to an
>unfamiliar crowd & they were chanting for more come the end of our
>set! I finally felt like "we'd arrived". The Manchester show was
>also a superb night for us, a capacity crowd that were enthusiastic
>to say the least...based on the merchandise we shifted that night
>was a testament as to how well we were received. The opening night
>on the Dokken tour at the Underworld was a good night for us
>also....again met with a similar reaction by the crowd. The audience
>response feeds your performance & if they are with you....you try
>your hardest not to let them go.
>
> www.doublecross.org.uk
